Key-locking means for player-pianos.



A. STAHL.

KEY LOCKING MEANS FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED 151112.11, 1914.

1,133,674. Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

[HE NORRIS PETERS c0., PHOTOVLITHOH WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFEGE.

AUGUST STAHL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIG-NOR TO WILLIAM TONK 85 BRO. INCL, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION.

KEY-LOCKING MEANS FOR PLAYER-PIANOS.

Application filed March 11, 1914-.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUsT STAIIL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Key-Locking Means for PlayerPianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to novel and eliicient means for operating the key locking rail in player pianos, such means being freely accessible to the hand and exposed to the eyes of the player, Without however in any way impairing the beauty of the instrument.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a cross section through part of a key frame embodying my invention; Fig. is a similar section with the key omitted, and showing the parts in a different position, and Fig. 5 a plan of part of the key frame, with the key block partly broken away.

To the key frame 10, there is hinged at 11, the locking rail 12, adapted to engage the keys, one of said keys 13, being shown. Locking rail 12, may have a suitable cross section, it being shown to be provided with astraight back and a rounded face, which is cushioned as at 1-1. To one end of rail (which may be either the right or the left end) there is secured a bent metal arm 15, one member of which is attached to the back of rail 12 by screws 16, wl ile the other member extends forwardly along the end of the rail. To this forwardly extending member, there is pivoted at 17, the rear end of a link 18, the front end of which is pivoted at 19, to a hand lever or movable member 20. This hand lever is fulcrumed at 21 to the upright cheek 22 of the key frame sidewise of the.

keys, and is provided at its upper end with a knob 23, by means of which it may be ma- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gomniissioner of Paton Washington, I). O.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3%, 1915.

Serial No. 823,875.

nipulated. The key block 24-, is mortised as at 25, so as to accommodate the link 18, as well as the lower portion of lever 20, in such a manner as to eliectively conceal the same,

though permitting their free movement. The upper portion of lever 20 carrying the knob 23 extends outwardly through a neck of the key block 21, that communicates with the mortise 25 thereof. In this way lever 20 may be readily manipulated so as to either raise the locking rail as shown in Fig. 1, or to lower the same as shown in F 2. By my invention, the locking rail manipulating means are placed in a most convenient position, are fully exposed to view, so as to obviate groping underneath the ey frame, and are firmly secured to a very substantial portion of said frame, while the key block covers up the connections between the operating lever and the rail so as to prevent any objectionable exposure thereof.

I claim:

Key locking means for player pianos comprising a key frame, a row of keys mounted on the frame, a mortised key block fast on the frame and flanking one of the end keys of said row, a cheek flanking said key block, a tilt-able locking rail extending underneath all of said keys, a freely oscillatable hand lever pivoted to the cheek and extending into the key block-mortise, and a link accommodated within said mortise and operatively connecting the hand lever to the locking rail, whereby the keys may be maintained in either a locked or unlocked position at the option of the operator.

AUGUST STAHL.

iVitnesses FRANK v. BRIESEN, MADELINE Hirsch. 

